Truth Behind Lies
by asta-shadows
Summary: Cloud and Squall are partners in the law. They meet Tifa and Rinoa, two beautiful sisters who soon became an important part of their lives. However, they have a dark secret that could jeopardize everything they've known. Cloud and Squall soon have to make a decision; arrest them or join them.
1. Chapter 1

"_**They say nothing beats the power of love. It is a power so great that it can overcome any obstacles. However, I have never come across this power. Perhaps, only the power of knowledge is the fate of my life. I believe that each and every one of us holds a different kind of power. And it is up to us on how to use it." –Howard Jaego**_

Squall stood silently against the wall as the passerby stared at him. He closed his eyes to avoid any eye contact. He can hear about four or five people walking past him every 3 minutes. He heard a group of girls walking towards him taking small shy steps. He can hear them whispering about him. He sighed and opened his eyes to look at them. There were about 5 or 6 of them wearing uniforms. He guessed they were probably in Junior High, but doesn't recognize their uniforms so they must be from a smaller school somewhere in this district.

"Oh my, oh my! He's looking at us." A shorter girl squeak in a whisper.

"He's so handsome. But I don't think he's from around here." A tall, athletic built girl spoke.

"Maybe we can ask him? Show him around even!" A plump, cute girl spoke as her hand covered her mouth.

Squall sighed as they stayed a distance from him. He didn't like the attention. If possible, he would've hid out from sight every time there's a crowd. A lot of people told him that he is very good-looking and he hated that. It would mean more people staring at him.

Just when Squall thought about reaching into his pockets for his phone, he heard heavy steps come from the opposite direction of the girls. Squall turned his head quickly to see a man slightly older than he. His blond spikes glowed in the sunlight. His pale feature glimmered as his sweat ran down his face. His bright blue eyes glittered as if he just had yawned. He was a couple inches taller than Squall and more muscular. He wore a dark royal blue sleeveless shirt and black pants with a silver belt. He had on a dark velvet scarf that was pretty worn out at the edges. His brown boots skid as he stopped right in front of Squall.

"How did it go, Cloud?" Squall said paying no attention to the girls squealing with excitement when they noticed Cloud. A lot of people had said they were the perfect pair of handsome guys. Cloud had a more mature look while Squall had a childish look. They were to die for, as Squall remembered some of the girls saying back at the office.

Cloud yawned and Squall can tell it wasn't the first time since they arrived here. Cloud ran a hand through his hair. "Not the most excited conversation, I can tell you that. And the place didn't have air conditioner. They opened the windows but it still felt like an oven in there. But everything went according to plan."

Squall nodded and folded his arms. Both Cloud and Squall had noticed the girls coming a bit closer, but not close enough to hear them. "Great. That means we can head back now, right? I'm getting tired of this place."

Cloud shook his head. He wiped a sweat from his forehead. "No. Although he agreed to the terms, he won't sign the contract until tomorrow afternoon. He wants his attorney to witness this." Cloud bit his bottom lips as he recalled the meeting. He cursed under his breath and Squall laughed.

Just as they turned around to leave, the girls finally had courage to confront them. "H-hi!" A bright red-haired girl said loudly being so nervous.

Cloud and Squall only turned to look at them. The girl fidgeted with her tie. Another gave her a slight push. "You guys aren't from around here, right?"

Cloud felt a little annoyed because he was getting uncomfortable with his drenched clothes full of sweat. He tried to hide a small irritated sigh not wanting to hurt the girls' feelings. "No, we're not."

"W-well, if you guys like, we can show you around town. We're off from school for the rest of the day."

Cloud let out a loud sigh and scratched his head. "Sorry, but we're not interested in little girls."

Squall gave Cloud a you-did-not-just-say-that look. Cloud shrugged his shoulders. He just wants to take a nice shower now.

The girls, however, were persistent. "We're old enough to go out on our own. And you two certainly don't look that old."

Cloud grinned and shook his head. "Believe me, we may look like this but we're as old as your grandparents." The girls just gave him a confused look. He pointed to himself. "I'm 58 years old." Then he pointed to Squall. "And that guy just turned 80 yesterday."

At that, Cloud grabbed Squall's shirt and quickly dragged him away to safety. On the way to a hotel, Squall and Cloud laughed at his little scheme to drive away the girls. When they reached there, they registered at the desk and soon got a room with two beds. As they were putting their equipment away, they joked about rather wanting to stay with beautiful women instead.

The next day, after getting the contract signed, Cloud and Squall made way to the train station. They got their tickets and waited for their train to come.

Squall sighed. "Why didn't you take Fenrir? If you did, we would've been home by now. It's not even that far from here to the academy."

Cloud smiled at Squall's childish complaints. "I have to let Fenrir rest too. Otherwise, it won't last long."

Squall gave Cloud an are-you-kidding-me look. "It's a machine. You can always change the engine."

Cloud shook his head. "I'm too busy to do that."

Just then, they heard from the speakers that their train was coming and to prepare to board. In 5 minutes, the train came. The duo climbed aboard and found their seats. After the train departed, Squall started to drift off to sleep. Cloud had closed his eyes earlier but somehow could not fall asleep. He sighed irritated. He opened his eyes to see Squall's head bobbling up and down. Cloud smirked when he thought of drawing on Squall's face like when Squall and Zell had done to him. However, he didn't have a pen so he quietly left the room instead.

Cloud was walking towards the front where the bar would be. As he entered the vehicle where the bar is, he saw a young woman stand up and walk away opposite of where he was. She had long dark brown hair that reached below her waist. She seemed to be wearing a short black dress. Although he couldn't see her face, he can tell that she must be quite beautiful.

Cloud kept his eyes on her as he walked to the bar. He kept staring even after she had disappeared into the next vehicle, never looking back. The bartender noticed Cloud's stares and chuckled silently to himself.

"Gorgeous, isn't she?" The bartender burst the silence around Cloud making his head snap to look at him.

"What?" Cloud didn't quite hear him.

The bartender gestured to the door where the brunette disappeared to with his head. Cloud smiled. "Too bad I didn't get to see her face."

Cloud ordered a drink which the bartender quickly served him. The bartender whistled. "That's a shame. That's the kind of gorgeous face you'd never forget."

Cloud frowned in shame. He dropped his head down and sighed. "Great, my day is just great. Thanks for asking."

The bartender laughed. "But don't you worry, she comes by often. If you stay long enough, she might even be back."

Cloud shot his head right up. "Really? What does she order?"

The bartender laughed at Cloud's silliness, filling him with another cup. "All I can say is she can _really_ drink. Orders the strongest thing we got on board. To top it off, this was her fifth cup since we departed. I'm surprised she's still sober. Most people would be out on the third."

Cloud felt a smile come to his face. "Wow, I've really got to meet this girl."

Cloud decided to stay a while to see if she came back. After two hours or so, Cloud gave up. Sleep was crawling quickly to him. Then he noticed that he had been drinking more than ten cups or so. He shook his head as the bartender gave him another refill. But Cloud raised his hand for him to stop.

"Stop it or you're going to kill me." Cloud shook his head to get the dizziness out.

"I don't think you'd die soon. With that drink, most guys would pass out on the fifth drink. I'm still surprised you're still sane after ten cups!"

Cloud burst out laughing. "Wish I could go into a drinking contest with that girl though. How fun would that be."

The bartender laughed. "I think you'd lose. Your drink is not even as strong as hers."

Cloud stared at the bartender frowning that he just dissed him. "Give me one of those then."

The bartender turns around and opened a cabinet behind him. He took out a white bottle with a picture of a dark winged horse. He poured it into a cup and gave it to Cloud. "Knock yourself out."

Cloud stared at the reddish liquid. The quickly raised the glass to his mouth and gulped it down. He felt the burning sensation down his throat and he coughed violently. He felt his head get dizzy ten times worse than it was before. Cloud flinched at the sensation it brought him.

"Holy sh-! How does she gobble this down?" Cloud refrained himself from swearing. "It tastes great though. What's it called?"

The bartender handed the bottle to Cloud. "Dark Horse in Flight."

"Nice." Cloud smiled as he handed it back. He shook the pain from his head. "Ugh, I shouldn't have drunk at all. Have to write reports right away when we depart."

The bartender eyed Cloud suspiciously. "Are you….are you a See-Ed?"

Cloud smiled and shook his head. "No. SUS."

The bartender's eyes widen in shock. Cloud noticed and began to think he was acting weird. "What?"

"Well, it's just that you don't meet an SUS member every day. And plus, there are rumors."

"What kind?" Cloud raised his eyebrows.

"Well, that they're dangerous and ruthless. They give this dark aura wherever they go. You'd noticed right away if you meet them."

Cloud laughed. "Oh, that's only Sephiroth. The rest of us are pretty normal."

The bartender laughed. "Oh, good. That's what I was wondering too when I heard you are SUS."

Cloud laughed. They talked for a bit more until Cloud stood up to leave. But then he turned around to face the bartender. "Oh, I was being rude. I didn't even ask for your name."

The bartender swung a towel over his broad shoulder. "The name's Barrett."

Just then, there was a sudden explosion at the front of the train. Cloud rushed to the front to inspect the scene soon followed by Squall who still had drool on his face. When they reached the engine room, they couldn't see anything but smoke. But Cloud made out a figure. A woman, with long dark brown hair stood up as if picking up something. She had on a mask but he could still see her brown eyes. She jumped out of the window on the ceiling and disappeared from sight as the fire began in the engine room.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time engine squads and the infantry came, Cloud and Squall had already managed to stop the train and put the fire out. A lot of the passengers were outside panicking. Since Cloud and Squall were the only two of higher authority on the train, they were overwhelmed by passengers wanting to know what happened. They had just recently calmed the panicked passengers after the squads came.

Squall and Cloud decided to take a break sitting a few yards on the railroad track in front of the train. Squall stretched and yawned at the same time.

"Man, I thought I was going to get a nice rest before we got back." Then he glared at Cloud. "See? This is why I said you should've brought Fenrir."

Cloud sighed in annoyance. "Oh shut up, will ya? Why don't you get a vehicle too then?"

Squall looked away ashamed. "You know why."

As if a memory just finally hit Cloud, he started laughing. "Oh, that's right. You tried building one and it took out the East Wing garage. Then you took your license and drove right into the infirmary." Cloud shook his head in disbelief. "Now you have to take training for a whole year before you can do either again."

Squall glared at Cloud not wanting to hear that. "Shut up." He mumbled under his breath.

Soon, a car stopped in front of them. A girl stepped out and stood in front of them. She was shorter with reddish hair that fell to her shoulders. She smiled while leaning to one side and putting her hand on her hips.

"Hey, boys. Having a rough day?" Her brown eyes glimmered.

Squall and Cloud both sighed at the same time. Then they stood up. Squall walked on over while Cloud was dusting himself.

"Please tell us you're giving us a ride, Cissnei." Squall stopped in front of her.

She giggled and turned around walking back to the car. "When are you going to get your license, Squall?" With a finger, she gestured them to follow her.

Squall cursed under his breath while Cloud started looking at the crowd. "That's strange, I didn't see Barrett."

* * *

Cloud and Squall went straight to Shinra to report. They reported both the mission and the accident with the train. Shinra, as if he wasn't listening, dismissed them right away. Cloud and Squall was relieved that it didn't take long at all. They both went to their dorms to rest.

Later that evening, Zack came by Cloud's dorm. He knocked on the door. "Hey, Cloud. Are you in here?"

Cloud grunted loudly and rolled off the bed. He stretched his arms above his head and cracked his neck. He walked like a zombie towards the door and opened it swiftly. When the lights in the hallway hit his eyes, he flinched and looked away since his room was dark.

"What do you want?" Cloud said rubbing his eyes.

Zack laughed. "Hey, we gotta go to the ceremony, sleepy head!"

Cloud stared at Zack confused. "What ceremony?"

Zack laughed again. Then he pat Cloud's shoulder. "_The_ ceremony. You know, the 100th anniversary ceremony held for Zarbadia Garden Academy. _HELLO!_"

Cloud stared at Zack still confused. Then suddenly his eyes popped opened. "That's tonight?!"

Zack laughed as Cloud jumped 2 meters back into his dorm. He shuffled throughout his room looking for his uniform. All SUS, or known as Special Unit Soldiers, are required to wear a black and red uniform. Zack stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his waist watching Cloud as he rushed to put his clothes on. Although Cloud seemed to be out of order, his room sure is organized. Well, way much better than Zack's.

Zack laughed as Cloud shouted at him. "Zack, close the door! Someone might see!"

Zack turned around and kicked the door closed. Then he turned to face Cloud again. "Really, man? I didn't think you'd forget it was tonight."

"I thought it was on the 25th?" Cloud struggled to calm his breathing as he rushed to put on his pants.

"It is." Zack said with a raised eyebrow.

"What? But I just got back from the mission."

Suddenly, Zack understood the situation. A grin appear on his face. "Oh, I see. Wait, that means you've been asleep for 3 days?!"

Cloud stared at Zack like he was crazy. Then it dawned on him too. "What? That can't be."

Zack laughed. "I'm sure it is. What did you eat?"

Cloud stopped to collect his thoughts. "Well, after we got back from the mission….I think…I think I just went straight to bed."

Zack crossed his arms and started to think too while Cloud was busy buttoning his shirt. "Then, did you drink something? Alcohol, perhaps?"

Cloud's eyes widen. "Yeah! I had that one drink. Ooh, what is it?" Cloud gently tapped his forehead with his fist. "Oh, yes! I know. It's called Dark Horse in Flight!"

Zack's jaw dropped open. "Dude, are you crazy?! That's one of the strongest shit on the planet! Plus, since our bodies aren't exactly normal, it doesn't mix well. No wonder you were knocked out for 3 days."

Cloud gave a soft snort. "I see. Well, I'm not much of a drinker like you, so I wouldn't know."

Zack shook his head. "Well, remember the seminar? They did mention not to consume strong alcohol, potions, and food. The side effects are very…disturbing."

Cloud shook his head. "Oh yeah, I forgot all about it."

Then Zack grinned. "I bet you did it to impress a lady." With that comment, Cloud smiled shyly. Zack jumped up in the air and hopped over to Cloud as he finished putting together his uniform. "So, who's the lucky lady?"

Cloud shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't see her face or got the chance to talk to her. I only saw her back." Then Cloud frowned. _Twice, probably._

Zack shook his head. "Seriously, man. When are you going to get a girl? I mean, we've been together since freshman in high school. And we're now in our mid-twenties. Throughout all those years, you're still single!"

Cloud shook his head. "Just haven't found the right one yet." Cloud walked to the bathroom to take a look at his hair. Then he headed to small kitchen far in the corner to get a glass of water. He just felt very thirsty.

Zack put out his arms and shrugged. "Whatever you say. If I didn't know you better, I'd say you're gay. Not that I'm against it or anything, but you know."

Cloud glared at Zack shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm not gay, Zack. You can get that thought out of your head."

Zack giggled. Cloud shook his head again and refilled his cup a second time. _Wow, I must be dehydrated for the past 3 days._

Zack crossed his arms again and stared at Cloud. "I mean, come on, man. Guys our age needs a woman. If we build up too much, it can mess with our minds!"

Cloud glared at Zack confused. "What are you talking about?" Cloud started drinking the second cup.

Zack exclaimed out loud just right when Zell and Squall walked in. "Sexual release, Cloud!"

Cloud choked squirting his water everywhere while Squall and Zell stared at them questionably. "What the hell, man?" Cloud said as he reached for some towels to wipe his face and uniform.

Zack shook his head. Then he stared at Cloud questionably. "Wait, don't tell me. You're still a virgin?"

Both Squall and Zell's head snapped to Cloud whose face got redder and redder. Zack started laughing hysterically. Zell joined in the laugh while Squall just watched from the side hoping they don't turn the attention towards him. That's a secret both Squall and Cloud know too well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for reading so far! So this scene I practically pulled from FFVIII when Squall and Rinoa met. Of course, I changed it up cause didn't want to use it and I needed to make Rinoa seem...can't remember the word for it lol. but yeah, you'll see what I mean soon. =D**

* * *

At the ceremony, there were many people all dressed up in pretty gowns and suits. Zack complained about the uniforms. He had wanted to wear a suit but Shinra wanted them to stand out to show their "power" over the country. Sephiroth was also present at the party with his partner, Seifer. They were talking to Shinra, as always.

Zack suddenly disappeared from sight once they crossed the dance floor to the other side with the food. Zell was mesmerized at all the different types of hot dog dishes and began to consume them at his large round table. Squall and Cloud were left standing near the pole by the drinks.

Cloud had already grabbed his third cup when Selphie approached him. "Hey, mister!"

Cloud blinked dumbly at her. "What?"

Selphie giggled. "Gosh, you're no fun." Cloud raised an eyebrow. Selphie decided to drop the cutey talk with the guy. She never gets anything from him. For some unknown reason, he doesn't talk much with girls. "Shinra wants you."

"Just me?"

"Yeah."

"What for?"

Selphie pouted and put her hands on her hips. "Do I look like his secretary?" With that, she stomped away leaving Cloud dumbfounded. Then he took off to see Shinra who was waiting for him with guests.

Squall sighed. Now he was completely alone. He hated parties. There were so many people around doing nothing but chat the night away. All those heat and germs flying in the packed room was not a place Squall would want to spend a good night away. He wanted to get out of there.

Suddenly, something caught his eyes. A girl standing in the middle of the dance floor looking up at the opened ceiling. Her eyes twinkled as if she was looking at the stars for the first time. She wore an aqua long dress that cut up to her left thigh. The tube dress showed her collar bone and shoulders completely. On her right arm, she had some silver bracelets. And she wore silver earrings with flower designs.

Squall couldn't help but stare at her since she was so out of place. It was the middle of the dance floor with people twirling and bumping into each other. She could get hurt just dazing off like that. But somehow, no one seemed to go near her like she got her own little bubble.

As if on cue, she turned and smiled at him. This shocked Squall. Had she known all along that he was staring at her? No way. It's got to be a coincidence since there's probably a good number of people staring at her standing in the middle of the room. Suddenly, she started walking towards him. So it must be the food, since Squall is standing near there anyways.

Feeling quite awkward that she's walking towards him smiling the whole time, he decided to walk away. As he took a few steps, he heard the scurried heel tapping on the tile. He turned around towards the sound and saw that she was following him. For no reason at all, Squall made a dash for it and she dashed right after him. This girl is scary.

* * *

Cloud felt himself dozing off by the minute. Shinra had introduced him to a general of some army. Cloud really had no interest in politics. Apparently, Cloud had a mission to reclaim a hijacked truck full of mako energy. And as it seems, the truck belonged to the general's army. He was so pleased with the work that he just have to meet Cloud.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Cloud." The general "_whatever his name was again_" said.

Cloud faked a smile. "The pleasure's mine."

Suddenly, a young brunette appeared. Her brown eyes captivated him. She wore a long black dress that cut up to her right thigh. The dress consisted of two layers, the top layer was thin enough to flow behind her as she walked, and the bottom was silk. The top crossed her chest with some glittered silver beads. It also went over her left shoulder with a long drape that tied to her index finger. Her dark brown hair was put up in a bun with a few strands curled that it fell nicely down to her shoulders. Her cherry red lips curved into a faint smile.

"Ah, Cloud. This is my daughter, Tifa." The general said as he guided Tifa over.

Cloud cleared his throat as silent as possible. "Hello."

Tifa smiled at Cloud's shyness. "Hello. You must be Cloud Strife. I've heard all about you."

As if the room wasn't hot enough, the energy this girl is giving off is making Cloud's head spin. "Oh." That was all he could mutter.

The general looked at Tifa. "Why don't you go and have a nice chat with Mr. Strife?" With that, he slightly pat Tifa's back.

Cloud could see the tension between Tifa and the general. Although smiling, Tifa's eyes sent darts to her father who seemed to dismiss all of it. Tifa smiled at Cloud and locked arms with him. She tilted her head and slightly pushed him. "Well, shall we?"

Cloud and Tifa made it to the balcony where they could oversee the garden. It was quieter out there. Cloud can tell by the way Tifa leaned against the rail that she was upset.

"Is something the matter?" Cloud asked to break the silence.

Tifa's head shot right up and stared dumbfounded at Cloud. "What?"

She looked too cute doing that. But Cloud had his manners. "You looked trouble."

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "You can tell?" Cloud nodded his head. Tifa sighed and looked down at her feet. "I hate my life."

Cloud was surprised. Clearly, something happened between her and her father. "Why?"

Tifa sighed. "It's just…he…he makes me do things…that I…that I don't…I don't want to…" Tifa couldn't finish the rest of her sentences.

Cloud lowered his eyes to the ground. "Things like having a nice chat with me?"

Tifa slowly lifted her eyes to him. "Y-yeah. Things like that." She whispered quietly.

Cloud was a bit disappointed. But he doesn't blame her. It did seem like she was forced into doing things she didn't want to. They stood silently like that for some time. The situation became very awkward for the both of them.

Then Cloud chuckled at the thought of finding a reason to be out of that party. Tifa eyed him suspiciously. "What's so funny?"

Cloud gave her a heart-warm smile making her slightly blush. Tifa didn't noticed before but he was quite the looker. You'd go into a room of a large crowd and you'd spot him right away. His blonde spikes were soft and silky. His neon blue eyes sparkled with life. His gentlemanly features stood out quite nice. He almost looked like a created virtual boyfriend that Tifa had seen on commercials.

"I was just thinking how much I wanted to get out of here earlier. And now is just the perfect time since we're supposed to be having a nice chat."

Tifa giggled at the way he was thinking. He was right. She knew the moment she saw him that he was forced to be there too. She quickly went to his side and pulled him off the railing. Then she hook arms with him. Tifa looked at him. Maybe it was just the lighting but his cheeks were quite pink. He looked so cute and innocent making Tifa want to tease him. "Well, why don't we use that excuse to get out of here then? Show me around?" Tifa said giving him an innocent look.

Cloud looked away and cleared his throat. He couldn't help but have a big grin on his face. Then he turned to look at her once more. She was giving him the puppy eyes now. He chuckled. "Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to leave for a while."


	4. Chapter 4

**well, been quite a while. almost gave up on this story until i saw how many people who read this and liked it. thanks to all of you who supported this story. i decided to keep it after all and finish it. hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Squall was cornered. He had nowhere left to go. This girl had chased him out of the party, all around the academy, and back into the party. Never once had he been so scared of a girl. Not in a physical sense, but psychological. And plus, he had never known any girl to be able to keep up with soldiers.

Squall wanted to keep running but he was stuck between Zack flirting with some girls, Zell still eating hot dogs (_how much can that guy eat?!)_, Sephiroth getting a drink, Seifer talking with Shinra, Selphie dancing, Reno laughing stupidly with some guys, and Tseng just standing around looking like he was a security (well, he is). In any way that he would go, he would get caught by someone and be teased for the rest of his life that he ran away from a girl.

Squall sighed. "_I give up. I'm too tired to run anymore. Stupid parties."_

Suddenly, he felt someone tug at his sleeves. He turned around to see the girl who was chasing after him. She had a half frown half smile on her face. It looked kind of weird.

"Finally!" She pouted while smiling.

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Why are you following me?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Because I want a dance. And you're the hottest guy I found so far."

Squall wanted to do a face palm. "_That's it? That's why she was following me like crazy? Oh my Fu-"_

His thoughts were cut short when she suddenly pulled him to the center of the dance floor. She was giggling the whole time. If she wasn't so freaky, she would've been cute.

"Come on!" Her soft voice rang in his eyes.

_"__This is not good._" Squall thought to himself. "I can't dance."

The girl looked at him surprised. "You're a SOLDIER! Don't all soldiers learn to dance?"

Squall scratched his head and looked away. "I failed that class."

The girl stared at him shocked. Then she put her hands to her lips and gave a soft giggle. "That's okay. I'll teach you."

She grabbed his left arm and put it around her waist. Then his right hand holding on to hers in the air. She put her right hand on his shoulder and proceeded to lead the dance. Squall stumbled to catch up to the weird formation. Many times he bumped into other dancers. Many times he step on her foot. He gave up and tried to walk away but she kept pulling him back over and over again.

"Gosh, you're really bad, aren't you?" The girl giggled.

Squall felt his face flush at her comment. "You didn't need to tell me that." He mumbled.

The girl opened her eyes wide and leaned in towards him. "Hmm? What did you say?"

Squall looked away. "Nothing."

Finally, the song changed. The girl stepped back and held onto his hand. Squall smiled. This was the only song he actually know how to dance to. They side stepped, glided, and swung around. The girl was quite pleased that he actually didn't step on her feet or bump into someone else. Finally, they came back together to the same position they had started out with.

Something inside Squall started to rise towards the surface. But he doesn't know what it is. He stared at her while she turned to look at the fireworks at the glass ceiling. If she stood quietly, she was quite attractive. Soft skin, black hair with brown highlights, light brown eyes, round cheeks, pink lips.

She suddenly turned around and saw something behind him and smiled. She let go of him. "I-I'll be right back." She lifted one finger to him and walked away leaving Squall staring after her.

* * *

Cloud and Tifa had walked down the hallway and into the lounge. As they were making their way to the far corner, Tifa started asking about his life there as a soldier. Somehow, he felt like he didn't need to hide anything from her. But he made sure not to tell too much of his affairs there for it would be invasion of confidentiality.

"Do you have family?" Tifa asked.

Cloud stopped in his track. He looked at her thinking of how he should reply. The number one rule being a soldier is never to talk about family. It could be used against you. "No."

Tifa seemed suspicious of him, but decided not to intrude more. "Oh, I see. That's sad."

Cloud exhaled sharply. He felt bad lying to her but he has to follow protocol. "Yeah."

* * *

Squall made his way through the crowd and joined Zell at the table. Zell looked like he was about to faint from eating all those food. Quistis and Selphie were there too. Selphie handed him a glass of water but he shook his head.

"I'm going to heaven, Selphie. There, I can eat all the hotdogs and drink all the water I want." Zell spoke in a weird way.

Quistis shook her head and fixed her glasses. "You're so dumb."

Squall kept his eyes out looking for that strange girl. She didn't even tell him her name. Well, it's not like he asked either. Quistis noticed Squall looking around and gently touched his arm as not to alert him. Squall snapped back to reality and faced Quistis.

"You okay, Squall?" Quistis asked softly as not to be heard by others. She knows how much Squall liked his privacy.

Squall nodded and crossed his arms. "Quistis, since you're in the Department of Internal Affairs, could you help me with something?"

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure. I guess."

Squall scouted with his eyes once more and found the girl. "Do you see that girl? The one in the aqua dress?"

Quistis fixed her glasses and looked towards the direction he pointed out. She saw that petite girl talking to someone. The girl was pretty, but inelegant in comparison to her appearance. She was stuffing her mouth with what looks like chocolate cake.

"The one eating?"

Squall cleared his throat. "Yeah, that one."

Quistis felt a bit uneasy. "Why do you want to know?"

"I have a feeling something is up with her. The way she's only talking to politicians and celebrities. She doesn't have the feel of being an important person. I feel she may have snuck inside."

Quistis smiled. "Don't you ever take a break? What are you? 24/7 Soldier machine?"

Squall glared at her. "I sleep too."

"Right." Quistis teased. Then she took off her glasses and stared at the girl for a complete assessment.

All personnel within the Department of Internal Affairs must carry a device that allows them to identify any person within seconds. However, only Star Aces, such as Quistis, may have bodily installed a device in their eye for easy access when they must travel for missions. There are several attempts that Star Aces were attacked and their eyes dug out for that device. But with the newest technology made by Mechanism Department, which Selphie is in, even if their eyes were dug out, it would be completely useless.

Quistis blinked her eyes and allowed the device to find the information needed. Within seconds, the information became clear. Quistis smiled. "Oh, interesting."

"What?" Squall asked.

Quistis smiled. "Well, apparently you're wrong about her." Squall only stared at her. She cleared her throat. "That's Rinoa Caraway. Of course, she eventually changed it to her mother's name, Heartily. Age 19. Height 160 cm. Weight 54 kg. Graduated from Airhart Junior Prep. Went to Fyre Academy. Was president of the INHA for two years in her college years. However, she dropped out on her third year due to her father's political movement. That's when she changed her name. She claimed publicly that she will not inherit the Caraway's fortune and continue their legacy. Shortly after she dropped out, she joined the Eco-New, a group that protects the environment from chemical harm. Of course, she doesn't last long there for her father's influential powers threaten the group if they allowed her to be in it any longer. After that, she secretly joined Mahama, a small rebellious group, but was disbanded after the Rift Accident when they tried to overthrow a military compound. And of course, Mr. Caraway, or should I say General Caraway, claimed that she was kidnapped as a ransom. After that…oh my, she did that too?"

Squall glared at Quistis who seemed to be having fun. "Okay, okay. I get it. She's a spoiled brat that just wants to do everything to get back at her father. A rebellious spoiled brat. That explains things."

Quistis put her glasses back on. Her face firm and serious. "You hate those kind the most, don't you?"

Squall frowned. "You know me too well, Quistis. You might as well be my mom or something."

Quistis laughed. "You're crazy. How can I have a son older than me?"

Squall smiled and turned around to walk away. Quistis cleared her throat again. "What about the girl?"

"She was just a waste of time. Sorry to bother you."

Zack walked towards the food area where Selphie continued to take away the food Zell had on his table. Zack laughed when Zell begged like a child when she took all his hot dogs away. "Geez, Zell. Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Zell turned to Zack. "Zack, you've got to help, man. She been takin everything!"

Zack put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Seriously, she's doing you a favor. And you can't be gaining too much weight being a solder-in-training. What are you going to do when the assessments are 3 days from now?"

Zell gave up and sat down by the pole. Selphie pouted and put her hands on her hip. She started lecturing him about something, but Zack wasn't paying attention. Instead, he looked over to the far corner where Sephiroth was talking to Shinra. But that wasn't what he was looking at. Standing beside Sephiroth was a young girl. Probably around her teens. There was something about her that made her interesting. As if she noticed, she turned to look at Zack and smiled.

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**how did you like it so far? please let me know! thanks! =D**


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